Heavy rains flooded Pierce College’s Alder building, soaking the carpeting in several rooms and causing concerns of possible mold growth.
Located adjacent to Parking Lot 7, the Alder building is one of Pierce’s newest structures, having opened in spring. According to Pierce Public Relations Manager Doreen Clay, the Alder building is “where they do the business of the college.” It is also host to an English and a math class.
According to Clay, the building is set lower than the Mall, and the rain trailed off into the building from under a door.
The flooding was caused by what USA Today describes as “one of the most powerful storms to hit the area in years.”
After learning about the flood, Operations Manager Rodney Allen contacted plant facilities worker Bruce Thomson and asked him to assist with cleaning the mess caused by the rain.
“Rodney Allen and Bruce Thomson found out about it that night and came in with vacuums and fans, and they did an amazing job. They should be commended,” Clay said. “If nobody found it, the water could have sat for four days and it would have been a disaster.”
According to Thompson, the water was cleaned up before it could cause damage.
“We vacuumed the water and we came in with a few fans for the carpets. We kept moving them over and over during the weekend until everything was dry,” Thomson said. “I believed we got all the moisture out. It didn’t have a chance to get under the carpet, or under the walls or ruin any furniture.”
According to Thompson, mold didn’t have time to develop due to dampness because it was quickly cleaned.
“Mold only forms with something that has been lingering for a while. It rained on that Friday, and we came in that night so there wasn’t enough time for mold to form before we got there,” he said. “We got it vacuumed up in about 3 to 4 hours.”
According to Thomson, the building structure was not a factor in the flooding incident.
“There was no design flaw with the building. It was just an occurrence that once in awhile does happen,” Thomson said.
Chris Lauterdale, a senior office assistant who works in the Alder building, praised the cleanup crew for their quickness and efficiency. However, if you don’t have a plant facility that can save the day for you and your business, you might want to consider contacting a public insurance adjuster to see if they can help you with your insurance claim. Your insurance should provide the rebuilding costs that you will have for the damage if you experience a flood, or another type of building damage.
The Alder Building were lucky to have the plant facilities looking out for them. Lauterdale also added that “we were just so glad because plant facilities really came in and saved the day for us.”
